I went up Mt. Parnitha for the first time in early November. It was rainy, windy and there was no one on the mountain. Yesterday, I went back for another round. I have to say, there's no such thing as doing the same hike twice. Every time is different. Yesterday, there was snow on the ground but the sun was shining and Greeks were out in droves. Families were enjoying the day together by building snowmen on the hoods of their cars. I've never seen that before but literally everyone was doing it. Maybe it's a Greek winter tradition?
Parnitha is only barely outside Athens so it's an easy day trip. I went with with Andreas, a graduate of Athens College who I met at the gym. Ever since he found out I was a hiker, we've been trying to go together. He is quite a character. To say that Andreas is intense about the outdoors is an extreme understatement. This fifty-something Greek guy is at the gym for hours every day. He's hiked the Himalayas, the Andes, the Alps... you name it.
I knew hiking with Andreas was going to be a challenge. He warned me ahead of time to bring snow pants and gaitors, waterproof pieces which keep the snow out of your boots. Luckily, this is discount season in Athens and I was able to get some great deals at an outdoors store in Piraeas (including a new pair of hiking boots for only 50 euros!).
Once we were on the mountain, I had to seriously hustle to keep up with Andreas. He was sprinting uphill through snow and I was panting along behind him. Despite the fact that I could barely speak, we had a great conversation. Andreas told me all about his adventures hiking around the world, sailing professionally, and traveling around the U.S. on a $200 three-month unlimited travel airline ticket. I wish they had that deal now!
I only needed the gaitors and snow pants for a few sections of the hike because Saturday was a freak warm day and a lot of snow had melted off the south face. The north face still had a fair amount as you can see on this church (St. Peter's, I think).
Andreas knows Mt. Parnitha inside and out and he led me on a "greatest hits" loop circling all around the mountain. At times, the trail was packed, but once we got more into the snow and cold (and away from the popular casino Mont Parnes) we were only joined by a burly German, Rolf, who we invited to follow us.
For some reason, German accents often make me feel like I'm in a teen comedy about Europe. As Rolf pointed at flowers and said things like "Ya, we have zee crocuses in my hometown. Zees reminds me of Ger-mah-nee" I had to keep checking to make sure he wasn't joking. He wasn't.
After an hour or so, we parted ways with Rolf and said our goodbyes. Then Andreas and I hightailed it back around the mountain and down to his car. After seven and a half hours of hiking, I was ready to sit down, take off my boots and have a good meal. "That was great," I said.
"That was fun, I liked taking my time," Andreas agreed. "Once I did that same hike in four and a half hours."
I told him, quite honestly, "I would have died."
I think I'll keep training for a while before I hit the Himalayas...
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